Jesse allen



(No Model.)

J. A. STEPHENS. CARPET STRBTGHER AND TAGKER.

No. 492,771. Patented Feb. 28, 189.3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC JESSE ALLEN STEPHENS, OF MUN CIE, INDIANA,ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO GEORGE N. HIGMAN AND MICHAEL E. VANDERCOOK, OFSAME PLACE.

CARPET STRETCI- IER AND TACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,771, dated February28, 1893.

Application filed March 30, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J EssE ALLEN STEPHENS, of Muncie, in the county ofDelaware and State of Indiana, have invented certain new andusefullmprovements in Carpet Stretchers and Tackers; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in combined carpet stretchers andtackers; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of partswhich will be fully described hereinafter and particularly referred toin the claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a carpet stretcher ofthe'construction hereinafter described, whereby the tacks are held in amagazine tube and automatically fed in front of the hammer rod by themovement of the rod, which operates a pivoted jaw, the inner end of thispivoted jaw or lever, carrying a feeding device for automaticallyallowing one tack to drop at a time in front of the hammer rod.

In the accompanying drawingsz-Figure 1 is a perspective view of astretcher and tacker which embodies my invention. Fig. 2 is a detachedperspective view of the lever carrying a jaw at its outer end, and afeeding device at its inner end. Fig. 3 is an end viewof the lower endof the device.

A indicates a handle of any suitable length, through which a hammer rodB passes, and freely reciprocates. The stretcher head 0 consists of theside pieces D, which extend upon opposite sides of the lower end of thehandle, and are secured thereto by means of screws, and these areconnected at the lower end of the handle by a cross piece E, thusforming a jaw or socket for the lower end of the handle as shown.

Extending centrally through the stretcher head is a rib or web F, whichis provided with a central longitudinal groove G, which forms a troughto receive the hammer rod, and through which the tacks are fed. One sideof the lower end of this trough is cutaway as shown at H,

Serial No. 4=27,128. (No model.)

and has an arm extending outward and downward therefrom, to which thetoothed portion I is connected at one end, the other end of this toothedportion being connected with the side piece D. At the opposite side ofthis trough, and connected thereto is another toothed portion J, and bymeans of these toothed portions the carpet is stretched in the ordinarymanner. A lug L extends laterally from the trough, and upon this lug alever M is pivoted between its ends so as to swing across the face ofthe trough. The lower end of this lever is provided with a taperinggrooved jaw N, which co-acts with the lower portion of the trough toform a grip in which the tacks are successively held until driven by thehammer. The outer end, or jaw of this lever M is held normally againstthe tack by means of a spring P, which has its inner end secured in thesaid lug and its outer end resting against the jaw as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1.

Secured t6 the upper side of the handleA is a magazine tube Q, which hasits lower end curved inward as shown, so that the tacks placed thereinare delivered to the trough in the proper position to be driven. Thelower or delivery end of this magazine tube is directly over the groovein the central web as illustrated, so that the tacks in the tube passtherefrom into the groove of the Web.

The upper end of the lever M is provided with a feeding device whichconsists of a wire having one end bent around behind the tube and thenin front thereof and another wire which extends from the opposite sideof the tube also in front of the groove in the tube. Owing to thisconstruction, the end of one wire being below the other as shown, whenthe hammer rod is raised from the position shown the lever is moved bythe spring P, which moves the upper wire from under the tacks, andallows one of them to drop upon the lower wire, and when the lever isforced in the opposite direction by the hammer rod engaging the lowerend thereof, the upper wire is brought in contact with the next tack,and the tack which rested upon the lower wire is allowed to fall uponthe hammer rod. When the said hammer has its lower end drawn within thehandle this lower tack drops from ICO by the hammer.

the rod into the trough and falls to the grip at the lower end of thetrough to be driven As one side of the central web is cut away as beforedescribed, the jaw of the lower end of the lever M forms that side ofthe groove,and thus prevents the tack from dropping through the cut awayportion, and holds the tack in position to be driven into the floorthrough the carpet as will be understood.

By means of the construction abovc described, I produce a carpetstretcher with an automatic tack feeding attachment, and a means forholding and driving the tack after it is fed. The lever as beforedescribed feeds the tacks at its upper end, and is constructed at itslower end to form a part of the lower end of the feeding groove and tohold the tack while it is being driven.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

tube communicating with the upper end of v the trough, a lever pivotedbetween its ends and extending diagonally across the said feedingtrough, its upper end at one side of the trough and carrying a feedingdevice which extends across the lower end of the magazine tube, itslower end being at the opposite side of the said feeding trough andforming therewith a jaw, and a hammer rod moving in the said trough toengage the lower end of the said lever for operatingdt, substantially,as specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JESSE ALLEN STEPHENS. WVitnesses:

G. E. QRANDALL, A. H. HAMILTON.

